Day 3 highlights of Wills India Fashion Week

Day 3 was the first day to witness more activity in the stall aisles than in the show areas.

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Varoon P Anand

February 18, 2012

UPDATED: February 18, 2012 16:06 IST

Day 3 was the first day to witness more activity in the stall aisles than in the show areas. 13 designers presented shows plus a special showcase for 12 designers tied in with the You Can Free US charity, where Vivek Oberoi and Leander Paes supported. Mahima Chaudhary and Kangna Ranaut were also seen on the sidelines of Manish Malhotra's autumn presentation. The ramp shows may have found a steady rhythm, keeping wait time between shows to a minimum, but the hub of activity has finally moved to the designer's enclosures, where Aneeth Arora, Nachiket Bharve, and, even Gaurav Jai Gupta reported a spike in interest and activity after their shows. While veteran designers Abraham & Thakore and Malhotra delivered polished, refined, elegant, and slightly boring shows, it was designer duo Pankaj & Nidhi who captured both audience, designer and buyer interest with their exceedingly wearable line based on the art of folded paper cutting.

Scene Stealers of the Day: The biggest crowds showed up for Manish Malhotra , the most hopes were pinned on Abraham & Thakore presenting a strong line-up, but it was young Pankaj & Nidhi who took the most applause for their collection "Wycinanki". Inspired by the Polish folk art of paper-cut designs, the pieces played with symmetry, geometric designs, deep colours, with silhouettes ranging from wide-legged and fitted pants to fitted dresses, cape-jackets and peplum tops. Fabrics including sheep leather, wool jersey, wool crepe, silk satin and georgette. The most eye-catching aspect of the collection was the innovative technique to cross-stitch leather, punching holes to create an unusual effect that looked like a grid. The pieces played loudly with geometric shapes and colours but framed in simple cases, looked straightforwardly wearable and fun for autumn/winter.

Most Industrious: The activity around fashion week has been a noisy buzz, with runners screaming at workers, designers chasing models, DJs deafening audiences, and the photographers yelling at any poor soul who gets in the way. Which is why the quietly laborious Japanese contingent is admiring murmurs of respect ahead of their seminar and show on the 18th. On Day 1, the Japanese were seen carrying their own boxes, setting up not just their design work but the backgrounds and walls of their stall without help. In under an hour their stall was up and running while most designers were still trying to find the number of theirs. In two days the Japanese have been a quite force sharing philosophical ideas on the nature of beauty, the recyclability of materials, recognizing the value of cheap materials, and creating a strong curiosity for their presentation.

Heart in the Right Place: The decision to put on a special show for the NGO You Can Free Us, headed by an American motivational speaker of Indian origin and conceived by photographer Subi Samuel, often treaded the line between heartfelt and disturbingly insensitive. The organization claims to rescue women out of forced prostitution providing them a home, rehabilitation, vocational training and employment opportunities. The noble sentiment took a turn towards the perturbing when they presented one of the rescued workers, whose name they changed to Alice so she could fit into the "Alice in Wonderland" motif they had created, in designs by Manish Arora, Suneet Varma, JJ Valaya, Shantanu & Nikhi, Tarun Tahiliani, Ritu Beri and a few others photographed in Subi Samuel's studio. The FDCI said their intention was to create awareness, but when a dancer took to stage dressed in an Ashish Soni creation covered in giant playing cards (taking obvious inspiration from Wonderland's Mad Hatter) while Delhi Belly singer Keerthi Sagathia belted out a rendition of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" (which is actually from "The Wizard of Oz") they demonstrated a callous disconnect from the inter-relatedness of the vices of gambling and prostitution. The fact that when Alice finally took the ramp, accompanied by a sincere Leander Paes, she chose only to wear a sedate burnt orange salwar kameez, left more people wondering if the awareness the FDCI wished to bring was to the plight of exploited women or to their own pretty designs. The thematic irrelevance of the clothes with the work of the NGO only more startlingly left a bit of a bad taste in people's mouths.

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